


All This Care For Those Around You

by preciouspoketater



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: A Little Bit Of Rocketshipping Later On, Big Brother Brock, Brock Deserves So Much Love, Child Neglect, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Poor Guy Has The Worst Parents, Sickfic, They Are So Terrible They Dont Even Deserve To Be Tagged
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:47:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24314539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/preciouspoketater/pseuds/preciouspoketater
Summary: A house full of young siblings makes it easy for a small flu to become a big one, and it’s exactly a problem Brock doesn’t have time for while already struggling to keep the household and the Pewter gym running.Set before Brock's travels with Ash
Comments: 6
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so... *sigh* I started writing this fic last year october, before this whole Covid-19 pandemic happened, so this fic is in no way inspired by it all. It's just supposed to start as a normal sickfic, a standard stomach flu. To be fair, I don't even know if it's appropriate to post right now, so please let me know if you think I should tag this/give a bit of a warning/delete it, because I understand completely. I've been doubting a lot if I should upload it now, but I've been writing a lot more to cope with all the stress and I already put it off for so long... and I need something to distract myself during lockdown.
> 
> Also I've been wanting to write this fanfic for...12 years now? (I'm serious)
> 
> Anyway, I love Brock, always have and always will. He is such a sweet character and he deserves so much more love for all the hard work he does.
> 
> Ash, Misty and Team Rocket will appear later on in the fic, as I will continue up until a few weeks into Indigo.  
> Disclaimer: Pokémon is copyrighted property of Nintendo

“...Brock?”

Brock opened his eyes as he heard the door of his room slowly creak open, a head of full auburn brown hair sticking through the opening.

“...you awake?”

He checked his alarm clock. It was about to go off, so Brock pushed the alarm off.

“Morning Yolanda” Brock murmured, his eyes adjusting to the light entering his room through the opening of the door. Just when he was about to sit up, Brock felt his bed dip down. His younger sister crawled up the bed as she curled up next to him. Brock already knew that was a signal that something was wrong. Yolanda didn’t ask for attention or complain very often and liked being more independent than she should be for her age. She only looked for comfort when she really needed it.

“Did you sleep okay?” Brock asked while he gave one quick look at her face, already seeing what he feared.

“I’m not feeling well...” Brock put his hand on her forehead, which certainly felt warmer than normal.

“You feeling nauseous?” Yolanda slowly nodded. Brock got up out of bed, ready to bring her back to her room.

“Alright, back to bed then, how about I bring you something to eat when everybody is at school?” Yolanda nodded. Brock noticed Yolanda didn’t look like she was planning to move. Brock sighed.

“You want to stay here?” Yolanda pulled up the blanket over her head as answer.

“Alright then, but only for now okay?” Yolanda started to disappear even further into the blanket as she snuggled herself far into the pillow. Brock gave Yolanda a little pat on her hair and collected his clothes. He quickly made his way to the bathroom to get himself dressed, but knocked on the door next to his own first. Brock waited a moment and opened the door slowly.

“Forrest, you awake?” Brock heard the rustling of blankets and the soft annoyed hum from his oldest sibling.

“You want to come and help me dress the others, or do you want to stay in bed a bit longer?” After a moment of silence he heard an annoyed sigh.

“...Gimme a minute...” Brock gave a breath of relief.

“Thanks, you’re the best”

He closed the door and went into the bathroom. Brock checked his reflection in the mirror. The dark circles under his eyes even more present than the last few weeks. He barely recognised himself anymore. He saw more of his old self in his siblings than when he looked in the mirror. For a moment, everything felt too heavy and the urge to go downstairs and collapse on couch was almost too much to ignore. Brock was far from ready for yet another day of cooking, cleaning, battling, more cooking and trying to keep this whole household going.

His whole body ached of exhaustion. After a minute of getting close to a breakdown, Brock quickly splashed cold water in his face. _That would just have to do it then_. When he was dressed, Brock got ready for the biggest task of the day...waking everybody up. Brock slowly entered the main bedroom.

“Moorniing...” Brock turned on the light and walked towards the first bunk-bed.

“Come on, rise and shine, time for school.” Brock heard the familiar annoyed groan from Tommy, who always had a bit of a morning temper, as he pulled his blanket over his face.

“Did you sleep well?” Brock asked Cindy quietly, who rubbed her eyes, no answer coming from her but a yawn, the bell on her wrist tingling. Brock crouched down for the lower bunk-bed.

“Hey guys, come on, school isn’t waiting on you.”

Suzie and Timmy slowly but surely sitting up. Brock walked towards the crib where Tilly and Billy were still sleeping. He usually let them sleep and woke them up after the others had gone to school, but he just wanted to have this little moment of watching them sleep peacefully before the whole house would turn into the usual morning chaos again.

After a short minute Brock got some clean clothes for 6 of the younger siblings who were all slowly waking up. The usual easy cheap clothes, no use buying expensive pretty clothes when they would grow out of them in no time. He felt gentle pulling at his ankles.

“...m tired...” Suzie mumbled , rubbing her eyes. Brock picked her up and stroked her messy hair.

“I know, come on, let’s get you out of these pajamas.” At that exact moment Forrest came into the room, full in the usual morning rhythm Brock and him build together, immediately helping Cindy. The soft jingle of the bell on her wrist stopped when Forrest untangled it and put it down on the dresser. Brock gave Forrest the clothes he needed to help dress their impatient little sister who just wanted to go back to sleep again. When Forrest was about to start dressing a cranky Tommy, Brock picked up Suzie and Timmy.

“I’m off making breakfast, I’ll see you downstairs soon?” All he heard was a soft hum of agreement as he made his way to the stairs, but stopped before the last door, knocking softly.

“Salvadore? You coming as well?” Brock opened the door, a disheveled Salvadore sitting in the upper bunk bed.

“Where’s Yolanda?” Salvadore asked confused, looking at the empty lower bunk bed.

“Yolanda is not feeling well, so she’s staying in my room for a while.” Salvadore made a little “oh” sound, and nodded that he would be down soon. Brock made a mental note to watch Salvadore some more for any signs of sickness. Siblings who share rooms usually got each other sick quickly. Once Brock arrived downstairs, he put Suzie and Timmy in the middle of the living room, which was scattered with toys. Timmy slowly waddled towards a little Geodude plushie, his favorite toy.

“Alright, don’t do anything crazy while I’m in the kitchen alright?” Suzie blinked at Brock tiredly, still half asleep.

Brock quickly made his way to the kitchen, and started the preparations to make oatmeal for everyone, except for Timmy, who for some reason took a liking for cold spaghetti in the mornings. Of course they just couldn’t all eat the same. Brock tried everything else, but at this point it was easier for everyone to just give into these weird eating habits of some of his siblings. Luckily most of them did like the usual oatmeal, which Brock was thankful for. It was easy and quick, and almost everyone liked it (or at least no one really complained, yet, which was good enough for him). Brock made himself champion in making meals with random stuff laying in the cupboards. Meals that were easy, quick and healthy.

It was about a year after their father left, a few months after their mother left after a quick "I want to see some more of the world, I'll be back in a few months, take care of eachother alright?" and left to study at some weird water Pokemon academy on the other side of Kanto. After a year, Brock gave up hope on her ever returning home. Never a phone call or letter, or any worries at all about her children. It was like she completely vanished. In a way, it seemed very fitting of her.

Lola was a very impulsive woman, just doing whatever she had her mind set to at that moment. For years she wanted to have a family, get as many children to fulfill her dream of being a mom. Quickly becoming bored of her other hobbies in between being pregnant, before indulging in other obsessions. Up until she suddenly decided to try and make something else of her life, and leaving. Flint, worried that she left because he was too boring, left a few months later, with this stupid idea of becoming Pokemon Master, in a desperate attempt to win their mother back.

"Just you wait kids, I'll make sure your mother comes back after I get that trophy!"

Yeah sure...

Flint was a pretty decent Gymleader, knowing a lot about rock-Pokemon, and how to fight with them. But to become an actual Pokemon master, you needed a whole lot more. There were many things Flint didn't have, like creativity and determination. He usually stuck to what he knew, being too stubborn to learn new things. Being a rock-solid trainer had made him lazy. Brock hoped more than anything that he would never become like his father. He used to take an example in his dad, wanting to take over the gym one day, but as he got older, he saw the colder and neglectful side of his father.

Brock had always felt like he was never good enough to get his fathers attention. Always coming home with the best grades, working hard to prove himself. Taking an interest in Rock-Pokemon like his dad, and taking care of Flint's Pokemon when he was done fighting. But it never seemed enough. Brock almost never felt like he got the approval of his dad. Flint only had eyes for his mom, who eventually only had eyes for her other interests, far away from her children.

Whatever unhealthy thing was going on in their relationship, Brock didn't really care about it. All he cared about was the fact that they did a horrible job at being parents and they just straight up abandoned their children. Why couldn't they just get some couple- therapy instead? Close to home, right here in Pewter City. Brock would never know, and he couldn't wrap his mind around it. All he could feel was an unhealthy amount of anger bubbling up when he thought about his parents. It wasn't up to him to fix all of this, taking on all the care of the family, even though his parents made him feel like it was up to him.

Brock wasn't sure he would ever be able to forgive his parents all this. Leaving him, leaving all of them, taking away all the dreams Brock had. He had wanted to leave on his journey when he was 10 years old, but he was needed here again like always, Lola yet again being pregnant of twins, and needed all the help she could get, because Flint spent all his time at the gym. It was basically the same old story throughout his entire childhood.

Brock felt very conflicted about it all. He loved his siblings. They were all different from each other and they all loved him back equally as much. Growing up with them had been a privilege. Brock loved taking care of them and of others. Maybe one day, when he had seen enough of the world and was a bit older, he would love to come back and take care of them again. But for years Brock had wanted to be out there, discovering the world and himself, outside of his family. 

Brock wanted to be more social as well. He was a social person, being around others and meeting new people, and learning from them as well. This proved difficult in his situation right now. He didn't have time to meet people outside of his neighbourhood, the school of his siblings, the grocery store and the trainers that came into the gym, and left after they had either lost or won their badge.

It made his life rather boring and pathetic. A lot of his old friends and classmates were out in the world, chasing after their dreams, discovering other Pokemon and making something out of their lives. Becoming Pokemon trainers, coördinator, doctors, scientists... or in general just discovering themselves and what felt right for them. But not Brock, he was too busy desperately trying to give his siblings a normal childhood. Or at least give them a childhood where someone gave a shit about them. And Brock? Nobody really cared about him.

He felt left behind and... a bit depressed. At least, that's what Brock thought he had been feeling. He didn't even have time to feel depressed, or even think about what has been wrong with him lately. It was probably just the exhaustion kicking in.

He heard Salvadore and Forrest slowly make their way downstairs, helping their younger siblings safely go down the stairs. After the table was set and everyone was eating, Brock pulled out the school-lunches he prepared for everyone in the evenings. He packed it in their backpacks and looked at the clock. 15 minutes until they had to leave, they were actually on schedule for a change. Brock grabbed his coffee and joined his chattering and yawning siblings, slumping down on his chair.

Brock gave a quick glance around the table. Almost everyone was already halfway through their breakfast. Forrest was helping out Cindy, who managed to spill oatmeal by a groggy miscalculation with her spoon and bowl. Tommy looked attentive at the situation. Brock looked a bit closer at Salvadore, and noticed he looked a bit paler than earlier this morning, and his appetite was a whole lot less than usual. The last thing Brock needed was a nasty virus in the house. Extra vitamins it is then, he thought while taking a huge gulp from his coffee.

After finishing his coffee and feeling the caffeine taking effect on his body, Brock got up and started cleaning the table.

===

“Alright, go get ready for school guys.” Brock liked giving his siblings a little space right before school, allowing them to pack whatever they wanted to take with them. So he left them alone for a while, making a cup of tea for Yolanda. Brock walked upstairs, knocking on his own door, checking on his oldest sister.

“Yolanda?” Yolanda was now snoozing in his bed. He put down a cup of tea and a bowl of oatmeal next to her and crouched down.

“Hey, I need to bring everyone to school, I will be right back okay?” Two bleary eyes looked up at him.

“Hmmkay” she sounded tired and croaky. “Tilly and Billy are still asleep in their room alright?” Yolanda nodded and tugged on the blanket, disappearing even further under the covers. Brock gave a small but concerned smile. He knew Yolanda would never fake being sick, she was too responsible for that, she always did great at school and all the work she always needed to do. Brock felt pride but also worry growing inside him. He hoped he could spare her most of the responsibilities and worries he had to share with Forrest.

Brock heard voices getting louder downstairs, his siblings getting ready for school.

“See you in 10 minutes okay? Just try to sleep.” Brock didn’t get any response and walked out of the room, quietly closing the door. Walking downstairs, coming closer to the source of all the noise, he stopped for a little second to look into the hall with almost everyone next to the coat rack.

Having a big hall definitely had its perks. It was the moment of the day that always got a certain small feeling of pride in Brock, 6 siblings all tugging on shoes and jackets. This was usually the point when most of them started to wake up. Chattering about the most ridiculous things only young careless children could talk about. It calmed down a lot of anxiety in Brock, knowing his siblings didn’t feel the pressure of adulthood and responsibility on them yet. He was already feeling the immense guilt of forcing Forrest to grow up too fast, but it was the only way the family could possibly manage this way.

“Alright, everyone ready?” Brock asked as he put on his own shoes, and checked if everyone looked decent as they walked out of the house.

The school Brock’s siblings attended was close by, only a five minute walk. Suzie, Timmy, Cindy and Tommy were running around, playing some kind of complicated game of tag. Forrest tagged along a bit, trying to keep things from getting too wild. Salvadore walked quietly next to Brock. Brock looked at his little brother and noticed he was way too quiet, and looking even paler than he did during breakfast.

“You’re not feeling all that great, are you?” Salvadore looked up at Brock, a little surprised. Brock knew Salvadore was keeping up a brave face.

“The moment you start feeling lightheaded I want you to tell your teacher and come home, alright?” Salvadore wanted to protest but knew there wasn’t anything to say and nodded lightly.

“Just come to the gym and I’ll give you the keys to the house okay? Your sister will probably be in my room, so you can have your room to yourself.” Salvadore nodded softly, trying to avoid as much eye-contact as he could. Brock already knew he would probably see him within the next few hours, but he also knew Salvadore was too stubborn to not at least try and prove him wrong. Brock gave Salvadore a small pat through his hair, putting his hand on his shoulder for a little comfort. Salvadore usually didn’t like being open about his emotions, probably trying to be like his two older brothers.

After dropping all his siblings off at school, and a quick talk with Salvadore’s and Yolanda’s teacher, Brock quickly ran home. He thanked Arceus for having someone to help him with his two youngest siblings. One of their neighbours had a small daycare for infants and toddlers, in exchange for the usual costs, but nothing too much. Brock quickly woke up the two smallest of his group siblings. Even though they were still so young, they were already so different of each other. Tilly always liked to have the most attention, and if it was up to her, she was to be held and cuddled every minute of the day, which was exhausting. Billy was always curious, and could crawl off to wherever caught his attention if he wasn’t watched at all times.

===

After Brock carried the two toddlers downstairs, he put them in their high chairs and prepared their breakfasts. He had been experimenting with different kinds of fruits and vegetables they liked. Brock heard Tilly softly starting to cry in the background, like she usually did if he let them alone for a bit too long. He quickly walked back to the dinner room with their small fruit bowls and started feeding them. Luckily they were easy eaters, and breakfast was down as quick as ever.

After cleaning up the two toddlers who were always a mess after eating, he picked them up and quickly carried them to the neighbours. An elderly couple, a few years older than Flint and Lola, and parents of a girl a bit older than Brock. As soon as he arrived, his siblings were already taken over by the gentle woman, who adored his siblings.

“Gooodmorning my dearies!” She chirped. Tilly started giggling happily, while Billy looked curiously around him, taking in the familiar surroundings.

“How are you guys doing!?” Brock smiled politely at the smiling pink haired woman, who’s hair had been getting more grey the last few months.

“Morning Misses Tanaka.” She looked disapprovingly at him.

“Brock, how many times have I told you to stop calling me that, before you know it I'll start feeling old!” She still smiled at him, like she did every morning Brock dropped his siblings off.

“Are you alright Brock? You look very tired.” Brock looked down at his shoes. As much as he didn't want to admit it, she was right. Brock was tired.

“Yolanda and Salvadore are sick...” Brock softly said.

“I’m scared everyone will get sick soon, and I’m not really sure what to do...” The woman looked at him with concern.

“Oh Brock, I’m so sorry for you, just try to get as much fruit and healthy food in them as possible, and if you need help or an extra bedroom, you can just ring our bell, okay?” Brock looked up at her, forcing a smile. 

“Yes miss Tanaka, thank you so much. Say hi to Solidad from me.” He desperately wanted to hug the older woman, missing the comfort of an elder in charge. But the woman was already busy playing with Billy, who curiously tried to get hold of one of her braids.

People wanted to help Brock, or at least, they always said they wanted to help, but no one actively tried to help Brock manage the house, the gym and his siblings. Brock always wondered if it was just human politeness, saying they wanted to help, but never actually taking action to do so. But for Brock himself, it just meant asking for help, which honestly, he hated. It felt like he was weak when asking for help, plus his siblings often acted hesitant towards strangers.

There was little to no trust for adults among them, which wasn’t much of a surprise for Brock. The only adult role models in their lives had been neglectful and didn’t care much for their emotional well beings. Brock remembered his parents often gifting them useless junk, which sure, seemed fun for a bit, but Brock preferred them just doing their goddamn job and taking responsibility. Maybe some parental comfort and advice would have been nice, but apparently that was too much to ask for.

Brock quickly said goodbye to the toddlers and the woman spoiling them with attention, and quickly ran towards the gym, opening the door and flicking on the lights. He immediately checked on the pokeballs, and entered the main fighting hall. He called out for his Pokemon as he opened the door. Onix untangled itself from its sleeping position and roared a gentle greeting. Geodude came hopping next to its trainer. “Hi guys, ready for a new day?” Brock put down a food bowl for Geodude and filled up a barrel for Onix. He picked up the broom from the hall and knelt down to grab some sand and sprinkled it on the hairs of the broom. He walked towards Onix who was busy eating.

“You feel like having a little scrub today?”

Onix looked at its trainer and roared happily. They did this almost every morning, but he still wanted to ask permission every time, in case his Pokemon didn’t feel like it, and so not to startle it. He started gently (but not too gentle, it was a Rock-Pokemon after all) brushing Onix. The rock-snake started to relax under his touch, closing its eyes and very gently leaning into the touch of the brushes.

Brock always loved this moment of the day. Even if it was just 10 minutes. This was the moment he could wind down in silence with his Pokemon, taking care of them, making sure they were the happiest and healthiest they could be. No yelling siblings around him, no fighting young trainers, having to wear down his Pokemon, just him and his Onix and Geodude, brushing the corners and scratches on their rocky surfaces. After a little while, Brock stopped and gave Onix heavy pets.

“Are you ready for a full day of fighting again?” He asked his Pokemon, looking up into the eyes of the Rock Pokemon. Onix softly nodded, rumbling sofly.

“Wish you didn’t have to, but I guess we don’t really have a choice, do we?”

Brock sighed while putting away the broom. Onix went back to his barrel of food to finish his breakfast, while Brock began preparing the gym for another day. Filling up some of the holes in the ground from the day before. After a minute Geodude came hopping next to Brock, looking up at him as if asking if he needed help. Brock smiled down at Geodude and stepped aside, letting Geodude use his sand attack, filling the holes with sand. When Geodude was done, Brock knelt down to it and he walked towards the front door and opened it, so young trainers could walk in any moment.

Brock sat down on the rock facing the opposite of the rink of his Gym. His gym… He wished it wasn’t. All he wanted was for his dad to just waltz in and pick up the life he so carelessly left behind, the care of the children he probably didn’t even miss. Why else would he just leave like that? Brock felt the familiar anger bubbling up in himself again. His parents missed out on so much. Forrest’s first crush on one of the girls in his class, Tommy who recently lost one of his teeth, Tilly’s and Billy’s first steps, the drawings made by Cindy, full of her siblings and their oldest brother.

The questions were the worst. Especially the ones from his older siblings who knew their parents just straight up abandoned them.

“Did we do something wrong? Is that why they left?” Especially Tommy and Cindy were at the age of confronting questions. After everything, Brock still didn't have a single clue how to deal with these questions.

The heavy door slowly creaked open.

“Hello? I’m here to fight for a Boulder Badge!”

Here we go…


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick re-upload of the second part of my previous first chapter, decided to make my chapters shorter, so I sliced it in half.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been a while, and I'm so sorry. Life has been pretty messy recently (got fired from my job the literal day before moving into my new place, such fun, especially during a pandemic) So been dealing with trying to get used to my new job and preparing for school.
> 
> BUT I'm far from giving up, the things that happened because of this fanfic have been so amazing. The wonderful [RokettoMusashi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RokettoMusashi/pseuds/RokettoMusashi) has offered to be my beta, and she has been so sweet and patient and already helped me so much with everything. She gives me so many tips and motivates me whenever my confidence takes a deep dive again. (which is often lmao)
> 
> Despite both of us being super busy and literally living on the other sides of the world, I'm sure our love for the wonderful characters of Pokeani will make it work :D

Onix Roared. This fight was a short one, thank Arceus. The young trainer with the little Charmander left defeated and with a grim expression on his face. Brock knew he would come back in a few weeks, probably with a Charmeleon or a Charizard, and a water Pokemon, which usually wouldn't last long as a fight. Behind him he heard the backdoor of the gym opening. 

“Brock?...”

A soft weak voice echoed through the gym. Just as Brock expected, it was Salvadore, looking even paler than he did this morning. Shouldn’t have let him go to school,  _ damnit _ , Brock thought angrily at himself.

“Hey you, not feeling well?” 

He asked quietly while he crouched down to his eye-level. Salvadore nodded and Brock gently put his hand on his sick brother’s forehead. A fever, just like Yolanda. 

“Wait here a second” Brock said, standing up and turning around, walking to the front door of the gym and locking it. 

“Alright, let’s get you to bed.” Once they entered the house, Brock immediately sent Salvadore upstairs. 

“I’ll bring some tea up, would you like that?” All he got was a soft hum in agreement. Once in the kitchen, Brock took a small moment while waiting for the water to boil. Worry washed over him, the last thing he needed was a flu in this house, 9 sick siblings, plus, it could actually be dangerous for Billy and Tilly if they got sick.

Brock quickly finished the tea and put some honey in it, just in case Salvadore had a sore throat. He also made a cup for Yolanda again, and quickly walked upstairs. He found Salvadore already in his pajamas sitting on his bed, in the small room he and Yolanda shared. Brock tried to give his siblings their own space as they got older, but there were only that many rooms in their house, so Brock had to get creative real soon. 

He was already considering breaking down their parents bed and just making that room for Tommy and Cindy soon. Brock had one of the smaller rooms in the house, which could barely be considered a bedroom. It used to be his mom’s walk-in-closet. Guess it’s used much better now. Boxes full of their parents' stuff still stood in boxes in one of the corners of the room.

Brock knew he had to move himself to the couch downstairs tonight, so Yolanda could sleep in his room. It would be useless to let Yolanda and Salvadore sleep in the same room, that way they'd never get better.

“It’s okay you tried going to school, Salvadore, but next time just say you’re not feeling well, alright?”

Salvadore coughed and grabbed the cup of tea Brock was handing him. 

“I’m sorry… I thought maybe I’d start feeling better eventually...” Brock gave him a reassuring smile, letting him know he wasn’t angry at him. 

Comfort was more important for Salvadore now than a lesson on how to look after himself. Brock hugged Salvadore gently and told him it was okay, took the cup of tea from Salvadore, putting it down next to him and waited for him to lay down. After Salvadore was all tucked in with some painkillers and tea next to him, Brock left the room and walked to the next room in the hallway.

Once Brock reached his own room, he walked to his nightstand and put down the cup of tea. Yolanda slowly opened her eyes and started coughing. 

“Hey easy there, I made you some tea.” Brock helped his sister sit up and handed her the cup. 

“Do you want to stay here tonight? I can sleep on the couch downstairs.” Yolanda looked up at him. 

“Are you sure?” Brock nodded. 

“Of course I am” He said softly, sitting next to her on the bed. 

“I’m afraid Salvadore got sick as well, and you two will get better a whole lot quicker if you guys sleep in different rooms.” Yolanda looked at Brock, gratitude showing all over her face. 

“Okay, if you’re sure...” Brock smiled at her. 

"Of course I'm sure, now you just try to get as much rest as you possibly can alright?" Brock ran towards the Gym after a quick lunch, preparing himself for some more gym battles. Onix and Geodude greeted him in their own ways, and he quickly gave them their usual Pokefood. Soon after he opened the front door of his gym again, the next trainers started to enter. 

Brock had noticed that battling had become more of a blur lately, and he barely got any joy out of it anymore. He used to feel a lot more anxious surrounding gym-battles, feeling like he wasn't allowed to lose and always needed to succeed. 

But lately, he actually couldn't really give a shit anymore, he could handle most of the trainers, especially when they had just started their journey. Onix and Geodude had become stronger of course, but even they needed different kinds of challenges in their lives to grow. Before Brock knew it, he started to feel hungry. 

As he checked the clock, he knew it was time to close the gym and get dinner ready. Brock threw the Pokeball of Onix, and the loud but exhausted roar of Onix filled the gym as the rock-snake Pokemon appeared . 

“Good job today Onix, I’m so sorry for that last fight, it wasn’t our best, was it?” Onix nodded slowly and laid down to let itself get checked by it's trainer. Brock quickly saw the scratches on Onix from the battle with a Sandslash. He sighed, gently stroking over the damaged boulder.

“Alright, I’m going to get you something for those nasty scratches, I’ll be right back.” 

Brock knew he didn’t really have to heal his Pokemon. He could just bring his Pokemon to nurse Joy, but lately he really enjoyed taking care of his Pokemon on his own. Brock had no idea where it came from, maybe he just liked being prepared for whatever situation. 

Maybe he also liked taking the time to get to know his Pokemon better, or maybe it was a way to confirm for himself that he wasn’t like his parents, who just didn’t care about their responsibilities. Whatever it was, he loved it. He chose to do it, and Brock felt an immense freedom and independence in choosing to take care of his Pokemon, instead of it only being a requirement.

While Brock was preparing something for Onix, the backdoor of the gym opened. 

“Brock? Are you here?” Brock heard multiple young voices, and he quickly walked out into the hall of the gym, as he was quickly greeted by Tommy and Cindy, who ran towards him and threw themselves in the arms of their brother. 

“We’re hungry Brock, when are you done here?!” Brock smiled and returned the hug. 

“I’ll be done in a minute here guys, I just need to look after Onix first.” After the embrace Brock stayed at eye-level with his siblings. “Do you guys want to help me fix up Onix?” They both nodded excitedly, following closely behind Brock. Onix roared happily as soon as it saw the two smaller versions of its trainer.

“Alright guys” Brock began “Do you see those scratches up there?” He pointed up at some scratches on one of the boulders that made up the body of the rock Pokemon. 

“They are from a fight with a Sandslash we just won, but it had a nasty metal claw attack, and if we don’t treat it well, it will eventually start to affect the way Onix’s body moves, and it might start aching as well.” 

Brock grabbed a small container and opened the lid, and he showed the purple-ish substance in it. 

“These are crushed berries, I read that it can help heal the scratches faster and better than normal potions.” 

Brock signaled Onix to crouch down a bit, so Brock could reach the spot. He looked at Tommy and Cindy and asked if one of them wanted to help him. Tommy started to nod excitedly, but Cindy shyly took a step back, deciding she actually thought it quite scary to be that close to such a huge Pokemon. Brock held the container in front of Tommy. 

“Okay, now put some of this berry juice in your hands Tommy.” The little boy did as he was told and was soon picked up by Brock. 

“Okay, now rub it over the scratches!” Brock looked Onix in the eyes as he nodded a little in reassurance and trust, knowing that Onix would never do anything to hurt anyone around it, especially one of Brock’s siblings, no matter how rough they were.

“You’re doing excellent Tommy!” Brock encouraged. 

Tommy was giggling non-stop, smearing the purple goo over the boulder with his small hands. Cindy looked up to her brothers, while holding on to Brock's jeans. They were all enjoying this little moment, especially Brock, seeing everyone, including his Pokemon, enjoying themselves and each other. 

After the scratches were treated properly, Brock cleaned up the gym and wished Onix goodnight, leaving the Pokemon outside it’s Pokeball, knowing it preferred to just sleep in the gym, being able to bury itself in the ground, like in its natural habitat.

Brock walked Tommy and Cindy out of the gym, and after locking the building quickly walked them to the house. As soon as Brock opened the door he was attacked by Cindy, Suzie and Timmy, who hugged him around his neck and legs. 

There was yet again chattering and laughter in the house. Brock felt the immediate warmth of home, of family, and the cheeriness of his siblings always gave him the little energy surge that he needed for the last few hours of the day. The usual anticipation for dinner hung in the house, like always around this time. Brock walked towards the living room and saw Yolanda sitting on the couch, wrapped in Brock's blankets. Yolanda gave him a little forced smile, but he could see she still wasn't feeling better. 

"Hey you" Brock said as he sat next to her, giving her a little hug. 

"Are you feeling up for a little dinner?" Yolanda nodded slightly, but Brock noticed it wasn't with much enthusiasm.

"Okay so how about I make you something healthy and light, like some soup?" Yolanda looked up at her brother, this time a bit happier, appreciating how her brother still wanted to make something that she could hopefully handle. Before Brock knew it, the couch was filled with more siblings, and he turned on the tv. Suzie crawled on his lap as the cartoons played on in the background. This, this was what made it all worth it. 

At the little moments like this, Brock felt appreciation only the people he cared most about could give. After a while, he knew that he really had to get up before he would fall asleep. Dinner needed to be made, Salvadore had to be checked up on. 

Before Brock knew it he already had a full on to-do list stuck in his head, and he became anxious about forgetting something. Gently he gave Suzie a little sign that he had to get up, but there was little protest, as she was completely transfixed on all the bright colors and characters on the tv. 

Brock went upstairs to check up on Salvadore, who was still very much asleep, and Brock decided that it would be best to keep him resting for now, and he would just leave some dinner for him later tonight. Brock very much hoped Salvadore would get hungry and get some of his appetite back. Siblings that weren't hungry always meant trouble.

After quickly making his way downstairs Brock walked towards the kitchen. Brock began preparing dinner, vegetable soup with rice and bread, ready for an easy night in, hoping his siblings were tired out enough from the day so they would make it an early night. One of the many things Brock appreciated about his siblings was that they were actually a whole lot more helpful than most children. 

He only had to give them the slightest sign that dinner was almost done, and plates were already laid on the table and things were being set, even the smaller ones were trying to help. Brock was smart enough to only give them little plastic things, sparing many fragile plates and cups. When everything was done, he put the soup and rice on a low fire and called Forrest over to keep watch over everything.

It was time to pick up the youngest ones of the family. Brock quickly ran to his neighbours, and before he knew it, he carried two smaller versions of himself in his arms. Tilly was happily babbling away about her day in the few words that she tried to proudly say, while Billy sleepily hugged Brock, two small tired arms hanging around his neck. Those same two tired arms proved stronger than Brock remembered when he wanted to put the little toddler in his high chair for dinner. 

"Come on, time to let go." Brock tried to say as stern as he possibly could, without making Billy cry, but he still gave a protesting sob when Brock finally got himself out of the tight embrace. Forrest already put the big pot of soup on the table and many of the kids looked to marvel at the contents inside. "It smells amazing!" and other small compliments and chatterings filled the dinner room.

Brock had set aside some soup without much to chew in it for Billy and Tilly and sat between them, starting to feed them the soup, making sure it wasn't too hot for them. Tiny hands constantly reaching out for the spoon or their bowls. Brock couldn't help but smile at the sight of his siblings eating and chattering about school, whatever new Pokemon they learned about, what they wanted to do when dinner was over...

This, this is what his parents choose to neglect.

Whatever, their loss. Brock thought angrily, scooping out the last of the soup out of Tilly's little bowl, while the little girl couldn't wait to get the last bite of her dinner.

Forrest already started to help Suzie and Timmy off their chairs and to the living room, while Brock cleaned off the table, preparing for a night of playing and watching tv. Brock usually tried to spend as much time as he possibly could with his siblings at night. 

Playing with them and being social. Brock knew that was the best way to keep track of how things were going in their lives, knowing how important it was for someone to show interest in what kept them busy. A nice, quiet night in with his siblings, exactly what Brock needed.

===

"Brock? Brock please wake up..."

"Hmmm? wh… Forrest?"

For a long moment, Brock was very confused about where he was and what was happening. It was still dark but he slowly started seeing some light from upstairs coming into the living room, and Forrest was desperately trying to wake him up. He immediately knew something was wrong, and instinctively shot up from the uncomfortable couch. He looked at the clock on the wall above the television. It was almost 2 AM.

“What’s wrong?” He asked while quickly getting off the couch. Brock heard voices and crying coming from the hall and the bathroom. 

“It’s Tommy, he threw up in the bedroom, and I found Salvadore in the bathroom when I wanted to get some water for Tommy, he’s also sick.”

_ Too late _ ... Brock thought angrily at himself for not noticing the symptoms earlier. In a few hours he would probably be stuck in a house full of sick siblings, and all he could desperately hope for was that Forrest wouldn't get sick as well, his help was needed more than anything right now. Or worse, Brock himself. He always had a tendency to get sick quite quickly, probably due to the fact that he was always exhausted.

Brock heard a cry coming from the bathroom upstairs followed by horrible throwing up sounds, and he quickly ran towards the sad sounds of siblings crying and talking worriedly. “Heey common, it’s alright, come on, please go to the living room for a bit okay? I’ll be down in a minute.” Suzie and Timmy slowly left the bathroom, and he felt Cindy tugging on his pajamas, he looked down at his teary eyed sister. 

“Tommy… his bed, he was sick on it.” Brock nodded. 

“Tell Tommy I’ll be right there okay? Are his clothes dirty?” Cindy nodded. 

“Okay, can you please ask Forrest to get Tommy some new pajamas?” Cindy released her tight, scared grip on Brock and slowly walked out of the bathroom.

Salvadore looked absolutely miserable. His forehead was covered with sweat, hair a huge mess, and he looked as pale as a Dewgong. Brock felt a pang of pity. He hated seeing his siblings in pain or in any sort of discomfort.

“Hey, how long have you been here?” Brock asked as he entered the bathroom. Salvadore took a moment to catch his breath.

"A while..." He said weakly. Brock sighed as he knelt down next to his sick brother, gently rubbing circles on his back, trying to comfort him as much as he could. After a minute he grabbed a glass of water and placed it on the ground next to Salvadore. 

"Here, try to drink something, I have to check on Tommy for a moment, is that okay?"Salvadore nodded and sat down tiredly next to the toilet, holding the glass of water, pulling his knees up to his stomach.

When Brock arrived in the main bedroom of his younger siblings, he saw Tommy sitting on one of the other beds. Already dressed in some clean pajamas, crying softly. Forrest looked a bit disgusted as he carried dirty pajamas to the laundry basket and threw it in. Brock sat down next to Tommy and gave him a comforting hug. He smelled horrible.

"Hey bud... you feeling sick?" Tommy sniffed and nodded, starting to cry a bit more as he slumped against Brock, sobbing miserably. 

"My stomach aches...I'm so tired." Brock looked at Forrest. 

"Can you maybe get some water and check on Salvadore?" Forrest yawned and slowly made his way out of the room, tired and very mentally absent. Brock gently stroked the sticky hair on Tommy's sweaty forehead. 

"Forrest is going to get you some water for the nasty taste in your mouth, do you think you can hold in some painkillers?" Tommy shook his head. "No..." Brock sighed. Tommy had always been a picky eater, and forcing bitter medicines down his younger brother would only make the whole situation worse. Alright, no medicines then. 

“Do you maybe want to come downstairs with me?” Tommy clutched his Golem plushie and nodded. Brock picked him up and carried him out of the bedroom, into the hallway, in which Suzie, Timmy and Cindy stood sleepily around a zoned out Forrest. Brock felt worried eyes looking up at him, but gave a little nod of reassurance. 

"Tommy's going to be alright, I'm just going to sit downstairs with Tommy and Salvadore for a bit, alright? Forrest, can you please bring them downstairs while I clean up the mess?" Forrest nodded and helped Tommy out of the arms of Brock. Salvadore slowly came out of the bathroom, holding his stomach and looking like he was about to puke again.

When everybody was finally downstairs, Brock quickly cleaned up the mess in the main bedroom, going completely on autopilot. Quickly changing the sheets and mopping up everything, while doing it as quietly as he could, since the two youngest had fallen asleep again after all the comotion. 

Finally done with cleaning the mess, Brock picked up the others and put them to bed again. When Brock finally walked into the living room again, he saw Forrest trying to comfort Tommy while Salvadore quietly sipped some water while shivering from the pain his body went through.

He hated this. He hated seeing his young brother having to act like the strong responsible adult he wasn’t. He saw Forrest struggling with it, trying desperately not to show how much of a hard time he was having. For the sake of his younger brothers. Brock knew, of course he knew, he had been in that exact same position. 

There was only 1 big difference this time. Brock would be there for Forrest, every single moment. Brock would make sure that Forrest always had someone to count on. Brock promised himself to never become like his useless parents, no matter how much it would take. He walked over to the couch and crouched down in front of them.

“Thanks Forrest, I’ll take it from here, you can go back to bed now.” Brock looked at Forrest and noticed how tired he was, but also hesitant. He reassured Forrest in a way only they could, just with a single glance. Forrest gently let go of Tommy as Brock sat in his place.

This was not how he imagined his night to be; holding out a bucket in front of Tommy while Salvadore was crying from exhaustion next to him. Hanging half over Brock, desperate for the comfort of a hug. Luckily the others were able to sleep again, and Tommy looked so beat down Brock expected him to collapse from exhaustion any minute. Brock had managed to hide some painkillers in their favorite teas, and for now it was just a matter of waiting for the painkillers and tea to kick in to make Salvadore and Tommy feel better.

“M sorry Brock...” Tommy said weakly, not having much left to throw up anymore. Brock put down the bucket and hugged him gently. 

“Now don’t be sorry, you can’t help it, okay?” Brock put a blanket over Tommy. He carried the bucket over to the toilet and flushed away the dinner he worked so hard on, now a horrible mess. After Brock came back he noticed both his brothers had fallen asleep on the couch. He could almost start crying from relief. Brock knew that they were both tight sleepers, so he only had to wait a while before he could pick them up and carry them to their beds without waking them up.

Brock sat down in the chair next to the couch and read a few pages of a Pokemon breeder magazine. When he started to notice he was more looking at the letters than actually reading them, he put away the book and picked up Tommy, carrying him to his bed. After he tucked Tommy in his bed, he heard a small voice behind him asking softly:

“Is he okay Brock?” 

It was Cindy, being worried about her brother. Brock turned around and knelt down next to her.

“He’s fine Cindy, you can go back to sleep.” Brock whispered, giving her a little pat through her hair and tucked her in tightly again. After he put Salvadore to bed as well, Brock could finally lay down on the couch again. 

He didn’t even want to check the time, he was too tired, and was dreading the busy morning that was coming way too quickly. Brock felt his whole body ache as he put his arm over his eyes, feeling the urge to cry from exhaustion. The only thing he could think was how much this sucked.

After their parents left, Brock always thought that eventually, things would become easier, that he would get used to all this one day. This sure wasn’t the case, Brock learned that the hard way. He’d only become more tired and stressed out each and every day. There was always way too much to do and he never felt like he had everything done for the day. Brock loved his siblings, and caring for them, but this was absolutely insane. He didn’t miss his parents, not at all, but he needed them to act like actual parents for once.

Brock’s thoughts became hazy as he felt exhaustion taking over, ready for hopefully some dreamless hours. His mind has been so overworked lately that he barely dreamt anymore. Brock noticed he had become too tired to process things properly, and he knew that was a horrible sign. 

Maybe he should be worried about it, as if he ever had time to be worried about other things than his siblings. Just when he was about to start thinking about how much he needed a break, he slipped into the darkness of sleep and exhaustion, far from ready for the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi to me on Tumblr! [potato-on-the-redgreen](https://potato-on-the-redgreen.tumblr.com/) I would love to chat and will never have enough Pokemon friends! <3
> 
> Stay safe and healthy everyone
> 
> Anyway am I the only one who is hoping each day Brock will appear in Journeys? I'm already so excited for the Alola Squad to come back, but kajshkdjh I can dream right?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yyes I'm back again, now we are finally kicking off a bit. I'm sorry for the mistakes in this chapter, I just finally wanted it online. It's not yet entirely how I want it, but for my own sanity, I just want to have it here.
> 
> Just some triggers as in, mentionings of hospitals, flu's and fevers etc. (idk now with covid and everything, better be safe than sorry!)
> 
> BUT I hope it's still enjoyable!  
> I loooove writing Solidad so much

_Saturday morning_

He was tired, _so damn tired_. Brock was almost unable to get himself off the uncomfortable couch. All his muscles ached from the night spent on the sofa, and the exhaustion was only making it worse. 

Saturdays were far from relaxing for Brock, usually the most hectic day of the week. No school for his siblings and the Gym still had to be opened, together with groceries that needed to be bought. Brock usually woke up an hour earlier to shop before everyone would wake up. Well, apart from Forrest, of course. Brock knew Forrest hated waking up earlier on Saturday, but he saw absolutely no other option. 

Brock grabbed his clothes from the day before, quickly got dressed and made his way upstairs to wake Forrest. He knocked softly on the door. 

“...Forrest?” 

He heard a soft and annoyed groan coming from the bed. Forrest was not in a great mood, and Brock couldn’t blame him, especially after the events of the night before. Eight year-old, growing boys should’ve never had to get up this early on a saturday. 

“Hey, you want to keep an eye on things here while I run to the store?” Forrest gave an irritated sigh. “...sure.” 

Brock quietly closed the door again and walked downstairs to make himself a coffee. As strong as he could possibly make it. He sat down on the couch, wanting to enjoy this small moment of silence and allowing his body to wake up a little bit. After a few moments, Forrest entered the living room, and slowly made his way to his older brother. He sat down on the other side of the couch. 

“You feeling alright? Not feeling sick?” Brock asked. Forrest shook his head, yawning and stretching himself out.

“I recorded that movie you really wanted to watch last night,” Brock said, switching on the TV and going through the recorded videos. Forrest always had difficulty waking up in the mornings, and usually spent the first hour in silence, helping out on auto-pilot. Brock knew that Forrest needed something to stay awake, or else the boy would be asleep within 5 minutes. 

Brock turned on a movie he knew Forrest liked, and stood up to prepare himself for grocery shopping. 

Brock had taught himself to be organized, or else there was no way he could keep everything running in his household. Brock always kept a list on him in case he did run out of something—this way, he would never forget to buy anything. Running back to the grocery store again was a luxury he couldn’t afford. This week, it was the usual—plus more fruit and vitamins—in a desperate attempt to keep the flu from spreading between everyone. 

When Brock quietly closed the door behind him, he felt the cold, fresh breeze of the early morning through his clothes. He started walking quickly, letting the cold air wake him up further. Brock made his way past the Gym, standing proud on a hill overlooking Pewter City. No matter how much Brock wanted to leave this place, the view on Pewter City in the early morning hours stayed beautiful.

Brock was usually one of the only ones in the grocery store. Not as if it was very surprising, as Pewter City was still fast asleep this early on Saturday mornings. Everyone who worked at the store was familiar with their Gym Leader shopping early on Saturdays, so Brock didn’t have to focus all that much on his surroundings. 

He started to get a little anxious as he was almost finished, seeing all the things getting crossed off his list meant… he had to go to the counter to pay for everything. He wasn’t anxious because of the money—Brock was glad that he never really had to worry about finances, since the family was supported mostly by the Pokemon Gym Organisation for keeping the gym running. As long as Brock kept repairing his siblings’ clothes and they kept rotating all their stuff, they would be fine.

No, Brock was definitely more anxious for the person sitting behind the counter. It was Solidad—recently returned from traveling for a few years—and decided to stay in Pewter City to do some working and saving up some money to enter more contests. Money for all the dresses and other accessories had to come from somewhere. 

Brock and Solidad practically grew up together, living only a few houses apart from each other. She was just a little over a year older than Brock. Solidad had always been very intelligent and hard-working, never having any problems with school, possessing a lot of talent and love for Pokemon. 

Brock and Solidad often walked to school together back in their childhoods, looking after the ever growing group of Brock’s siblings. They used to have a lot in common, their love for Pokemon, their dreams of going out there and discovering the world. Solidad, proud as ever, had her dream to show the whole world how amazing the Pokemon from Kanto were.

The day Solidad left with her dad to catch her first Pokemon in Viridian forest, and it was only her dad who returned home after they had caught a pidgey for her, was a day Brock would not quickly forget. He understood, though. He didn’t feel left behind because he was going to leave Pewter City for himself!

He wanted to follow her and make his own dreams come true a few months later….

If only...

Lately, he had been unable to have a normal conversation with her. Brock knew perfectly why. That fun and nice girl he used to play with had returned back home a lot older and, well, she was absolutely _stunning._ The first time they saw each other again after 5 years he barely recognised her anymore. She was not the ten year old girl who left Pewter City anymore. 

Now he saw her daily when he picked up Billy and Tilly at her parents house, or here at her job, but they never talked as much like they used to anymore. The few times they had spoken she showed him the Pokemon she caught on her journeys. 

A Lapras, a Butterfree and a Slowpoke, which she wanted to evolve into a Slowking one day. While Solidad told all kinds of stories about her journeys and her new found love for competing as coördinator, Brock could only think two things: why couldn’t he just go out there and have carefree adventures as well? And, more annoyingly…

Her laugh and her pinkish hair tucked in a ponytail was… distracting, to say the least.

===

Brock rolled his cart towards the counter and felt his cheeks slowly growing red. 

“Morning, Brock!” she chirped happily.

“...hi. morning Solidad.” 

_She’s just doing her job, so shut up, shut up..._ Brock desperately tried to tell himself over and over. He didn’t have the time nor the energy for all those flutters in his chest. 

Solidad quickly scanned all the groceries, but as soon as she reached the vitamins and medicines, she glanced at Brock with a look of worry on her face. 

“Mum already said something about one of your siblings being sick, I really hope they’re alright?” 

Brock sighed. “Uh... oh, yeah, Yolanda, Salvadore and Tommy got down with the flu yesterday...” 

The salmon-haired girl gave him a terrible face of pity, which Brock hated. “Oh no! That’s terrible, if you need help you can just knock on our door, you know that right?!” She said friendly.

Solidad was already finished with scanning all the groceries, and waited for Brock to pay. “T-thank you Solidad...” 

Brock quickly paid for the groceries and started packing everything in the bags. Solidad stood up from behind her work-spot and started helping him. That was something Brock had always liked about Solidad, she was one of the only people in his life that actually helped out a bit, even though it wasn’t much.

(Okay, and she smelled really nice, and her long hair looked even more beautiful wrapped into a ponytail, and her smile when she stood this close was so— _no, **stop.**_ ) 

Brock started to blush even more now, feeling his hands shake as he tried to pack the many groceries. When everything was bagged, Solidad gave him one of her pretty smiles. 

“Alright! Good luck today Brock! Are you sure you can carry all this on your own?” 

“U-uh, yes, you too, I-I mean, u-uh thanks… ok bye...” he mumbled shyly while he tried to hold on to all the heavy bags, quickly stumbling towards the exit, almost knocking over some card stands.

Brock heard Solidad chuckle softly behind him, as he quickly ran out of the store, burning up red from shame.

 _Oh god, what even was that??!_ Brock thought to himself as he was walking home. He tried very hard to fight off the blush that was probably very obvious on his face, feeling so warm he might even have to check himself for a fever later on. Meanwhile, his thoughts drifted off to other things, since this was the only time of the week he could actually just walk and let himself think.

If only his dad was around, he probably would’ve been able to give him some advice on how… to deal with this. Having someone to talk to about how to talk to people he really liked, or give some advice on how to act. Or at least have someone at home to watch over his siblings so he could go out and meet some new people, make some friends his own age.

But Flint wasn’t here, he was just out there, battling and having all the adventures he wanted. _Again._ Brock felt like throwing the grocery bags as far as he could from frustration. His father already _had_ his Pokemon journey when he was younger. Flint often told Brock about his travels back when he himself was a teenager. 

Flint’s way to Johto and Hoenn, searching for more rock-type Pokemon. Only, he quickly met Lola, and settled down pretty soon to take over the Pewter Gym himself. Flint had always been a pretty decent gym leader, Brock had to give him that, the man was indeed pretty great at being a tough battler with his Pokemon. Too bad his personality was far from rock-solid, it almost seemed like Lola had him perfectly tied around her fingers, always convincing him to do whatever she wanted. 

Brock was pretty sure it hadn’t been going all that great for his father, since he wasn’t participating in the Indigo League, meaning he probably hadn’t even made it in… again.

_Not as if he deserves it. Why did he have to prove himself a Pokemon master, couldn’t he prove himself to be, you know, a dad…?_

Everything had always been going alright before they left, and Lola’s urge to become a mother over and over kept the household… busy. Brock’s childhood was often filled with the crying of at least one infant, or siblings screaming and fighting over toys. 

Brock honestly couldn’t remember when he was taught how to change a diaper, it almost seemed like he just always had known. He always tried to help out as much as he could at home, but still had time to do other things. At least then, he was able to go outside and discover some Pokemon, have friends at school, and carelessly play with Forrest.

All this almost seemed a lifetime ago. He had no idea if his father would ever come back, nor where he was, just like Lola. No calls, no cards, not a glimpse, like they’d just completely disappeared from their lives. What parents didn’t even miss their children? Brock was growing scared to ever leave home himself, far too afraid to ever become like Flint and Lola. He knew perfectly well he wouldn’t, he loved all his siblings way too much for that, but still, the fear lingered. 

Brock found himself outside of Pewter City, as their house was in one of the outer neighbourhoods of the town. As he watched over the city that was slowly starting to wake up, he felt a longing to just… drop the bags… and run. There was so much to see in the world out there, so many Pokemon to discover, so much to learn about them, so much to learn about himself...

...and yet he was stuck here, having to battle his Pokemon until they couldn’t fight anymore… 

Brock loved his siblings, he liked taking care of them, it came absolutely natural to him. He loved being a big brother, it fit him just perfect. He wished, though, that he could also go out and live his own life. Brock was almost desperate for it. He knew he was missing out on a lot of experiences that were important to grow. A lot of opportunities, meeting new people without the pressures of home. 

When Brock finally reached the house after the long walk home, he knocked on the door, not having the energy to look for his keys and really hoping Forrest hadn’t fallen asleep again. After a minute Forrest opened the door and helped Brock with the bags. 

Brock noticed that none of their siblings had woken up yet, which was rare, but very nice. After they packed away everything in the kitchen, they both collapsed on the couch, exhausted. For a long while there was a comfortable silence between them, until Forrest broke it. 

“Do you like fighting in the gym?” 

Brock had no idea where this question suddenly came from. He turned his head and looked at the young boy with a curious expression on his face. 

“I mean, it’s alright I guess...” Brock said, not really sure how to answer the question. He noticed Forrest was actually expecting a more excited and motivated answer. Forrest muttered a small “oh” and looked back at the tv after a short while. 

Brock was perfectly aware that he’d probably be a lot happier if someone else could take over the gym responsibilities, but what was the use of letting Forrest know that? Not as if anyone else was able to do it.

Closing down the Gym meant giving up on a generations old family tradition, and since Brock was the only one who actually cared about family, he was not going to give it up, no matter what.

Yet again, Brock felt the gaze of Forrest on him, knowing fully well that Forrest didn’t believe him. It was nice being able to read his brother like a book, the only problem was that it was also the other way around. 

“Why, you planning on challenging me?” Brock said jokingly. 

“You better watch out once I get my first Pokémon.” Forrest grinned. They started chuckling tiredly together, but stopped when they heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs. It was Yolanda appearing in the door opening, groggy and with her blanket wrapped around her. 

“Yolanda! Are you feeling alright? Why aren’t you in bed?” Brock was about to get up when Yolanda walked up to the couch and plopped down next to Brock. Brock was more than confused, putting an arm around her. “How are you feeling right now?” 

Yolanda looked up, shrugging, but she looked a lot better than she did yesterday. 

“Are you feeling up to some breakfast?” 

Yolanda nodded. “Can you make some pancakes?” she asked curiously, knowing Brock liked to make special things on the weekends. 

Brock could’ve almost cried from happiness. If Yolanda was already getting better, it meant it was nothing serious and all this would be over by tomorrow. He gave her a little pat through her hair. 

“You know what, that sounds like an excellent idea.” 

Brock heard gentle steps coming from upstairs and looked at the clock. It was a little later than usual that the younger ones woke up, but after all the disturbances from last night, that was no surprise. 

“Alright, I’m gonna go upstairs to help the rest, I’ll be right back.” 

Usually, he would’ve asked Forrest to help him, but he thought he could use some extra rest after last night. Reaching the bedroom, he heard the bell on Cindy’s wrist, and gently opened the door. 

“Hey guys, did you sleep alright?” He saw Tommy was still fast asleep. _Good, lets keep it that way._

Cindy walked to Brock and he knelt down to untangle the little bell on her wrist. 

“Did you sleep okay?” Brock asked quietly, not wanting to wake Tommy up. 

She nodded her head and looked at her sick brother. “Is he still sick?” she asked.

Brock smiled and gave her a little hug, just because he wanted to. 

“I don’t know, but how about we let him sleep a little longer, okay?” he said while helping Cindy out of her pyjamas.

While he was dressing her he heard Suzie and Timmy wake up as well, and in no time the three children walked out of the bedroom in their clothes, more awake every minute, getting excited about Brock’s plan for pancakes.

Brock walked up to the crib with Billy and Tilly still fast asleep, and then noticed the slight blush on Tilly’s face. Brock immediately got worried and gently put his hand on her little forehead. A little warmer than usual, but not as much as the others. 

_Oh god no_. He had no idea what to do now. He tried to calm himself down, feeling panic rising. Maybe it was just the warmth of her blanket? The weather had been getting a little warmer, so maybe it was just that?

Whatever it was, Brock knew he had to keep a close eye on her, as well as on her twin brother. Maybe it was nothing? Brock decided to see how she would do throughout the day, and if things got worse, well... he surely just hoped they didn’t.

After breakfast, Brock and Forrest discussed their plans for the day. Saturday was usually the day their siblings joined Brock in the gym, as they liked cheering him on and watching him battle. Although Brock wasn’t a fan of having his younger siblings near often dangerous battles, it was a nice way to keep an eye on them while they entertained themselves and learned something in the process as well. 

Today was different, though. They decided Forrest would stay home and look after Salvadore and Tommy, who were still feeling miserable and were mostly asleep. Billy and Tilly were in the crib in the living room, also under close supervision. The rest would join Brock in the gym. Brock hated it, but this was the only thing he could possibly do.

\-------------------------------

Onix roared while the young boy ran to his Pokemon. 

“Charmander? Are you alright?” Brock heard the kid try his hardest not to cry. 

“Go to the Pokecenter and heal that little Charmander of yours, and come back when it’s stronger.” Brock said with a stern voice to the young trainer on the other side of the rink. The boy picked up his Charmander and ran away, probably thinking the worst of Brock. 

He didn’t really care, Brock already spent all his energy battling and making sure everyone was alright, he couldn’t really be bothered to be nice to all the trainers who he would probably never see again. He used to care. Being insecure but later on learning to get stronger. For a while it had been great, but Brock had eventually out-grown this gym.

Brock looked up to see his siblings cheer for him, Yolanda sat on the audience stairs that actually never got used outside of the family. She looked tired but alright. Brock looked at the door and decided it was time for a break. After locking the door, he went to pick up his siblings. 

“Broock! You were so good todaay!” Cindy yelled while Suzie and Timmy walked up to their older brother. 

Brock knelt down and gave them a small embrace. “Thanks, guys, now how about we go home and eat a bit?” 

Once they entered the house again, Forrest quickly walked up to Brock. 

“It’s Tilly, I-I think she’s getting worse.” 

Brock quickly ran towards the crib in which the little toddler girl was sleeping. She was whimpering and felt much warmer than a few hours earlier. 

_Oh god no, please._ Brock felt panic overtaking him, desperately thinking about what to do now. He had been trying to learn a lot about the health of Pokemon, and if things got too bad he could bring them to Nurse Joy. 

Of course Brock had learned a lot about the health of children through the years of his childhood, but toddlers? All he knew was that literally anything could be either harmless, or extremely dangerous.

The hospital? A doctor? He needed help, and quickly. But he could hardly leave everyone in the care of Forrest. Brock had to _!_ He looked outside, seeing Solidad walking back home from her work. 

_That’s it!_ Brock ran downstairs as quick as his tired legs could carry him. 

“Solidad! Solidad, please, can you help me?!” Brock yelled as loud as he could, running out the door.

Solidad looked surprised to see him. “Brock? Aren’t you supposed to be running the gym today?” 

Brock was panting from running. “It’s Tilly, I—she’s sick and I think it’s getting bad and I think I need—I need to take her to a doctor, but I can’t leave the rest on their own!” 

Solidad saw the sheer panic in his face. 

“Please, can you or… maybe your mom look after them while I take her to the hospital?” 

Solidad was already getting her keys out of her pocket. “I’ll send mom right over, I’m pretty sure they don’t have anything to do today.” 

Brock wanted to hug her from sheer relief. “Oh, thank you, Solidad, thank you so, so much!” 

Brock ran back to the house, Forrest waiting in the doorpost. 

“Brock? What do we do now? What’s happening?” 

Most of his siblings started gathering in the hallway, looking at Brock. Anxiety and confusion showing on their faces. 

“Everything is alright for now, but I need to take Tilly somewhere for a while,” he tried to say as calmly and assuredly as he possibly could, attempting to hide his panic and the fact that he was close to a breakdown. “Solidad and her mom are going to look after you while I’m gone, if that’s alright with you guys?” 

Forrest went up to Suzie and Timmy to hold their hands, as they were the most confused of them all. Brock walked past them and quickly upstairs, again looking at Tilly. 

_Please be alright, oh please be alright._

The door opened as Brock heard a familiar voice calling out for him. “Brock? It’s me, where are you?” 

Brock called as loud as he could “I’m upstairs, Miss Tanaka!” 

Before Brock knew it the elderly woman was standing next to him, looking at the little girl. 

“She was just a bit warm this morning, so I thought it wasn’t all that bad, b-but now...” Brock’s voice was breaking. He felt a gentle hand on his back. 

“It’s okay, Brock, it’s good you called for help.” She felt the toddlers forehead. “Okay, yes we need someone to take a look at her. Now, Brock, go pack some clothes and other stuff for her, I’ll carry her downstairs, okay?” 

Brock nodded, grabbing everything he could think of. Formula bottles, pyjamas, socks, towels, Brock threw them all in his backpack and ran out of the room. Once downstairs, the pink-haired woman handed back Tilly, who was now crying weakly. 

“Now, Solidad and I will look after everyone here, so don’t worry, alright?” 

Brock tried to comfort his little sister. “Salvadore and Tommy are still sick in their beds as well, Forrest mostly knows the way to everything in the house, so if you can’t find anything you can ask him.” 

Brock gave one quick look into the living room where Solidad was playing with his youngest siblings, but once he made eye-contact with Yolanda who was sitting on the couch, she got up and walked over to him. 

“Is she going to be alright?” she asked worriedly. 

_Brock just hoped his little baby sister would be alright, but he was sure he himself wouldn’t be._

When Brock opened the front door he saw a car pulling up to their driveway. 

“I asked my husband if he could take you to the hospital so you don’t have to walk there.” Brock heard the engine of a car outside the house.

Brock looked up at the woman smiling at him. He let out a breath of relief, not knowing how to react to the kindness. “Oh, thank you so very much!” 

There was no time for long goodbyes, so Brock ran to the car and got in as quickly as he could. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :(  
> Don't worry, everything will be alright soon, only happy endings here.
> 
> Come say hi to me on tumblr! [potato-on-the-redgreen](https://potato-on-the-redgreen.tumblr.com/)  
> I would love to chat!

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi to me on Tumblr! [potato-on-the-redgreen](https://potato-on-the-redgreen.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I would love to chat! :)


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